Thanks for Summer Two for One Special

Have you ever been in a deep cave or a long tunnel? I’ve been in both.

We have old mines in a town not too far from where I grew up that tell a story of the dreams of many ambitious families who hoped to build fortunes by sending there strong men into the dark day after day. There are countless numbers who didn’t make it out of mines like this one.

I’ve also traveled through what is thought to be the worlds longest underwater tunnel on the Trans Tokyo Bay Highway in Japan though it is traveled by millions I thought I might not make it out!

If you have ever experienced it you will understand the feeling of awe in the blinding reality at the “end of the tunnel” or at the top of the long climb out of that dark cave. First, it’s the realization that you were holding your breath and you breathe in the air as if before you had been unable to inhale.

Next its like the world is new as you experience the sun on your face and the many many colors of nature around you. How could you forget in those short moments what beauty awaited you?

Emerging from winter this year has been like that for me. I grew up here in the North so I’m no stranger to hard winters and I’m also quite fond of the clean blanket that is tossed out over all who tarry giving familiar surroundings a sort of ethereal curiosity. None-the-less, this was an exceptionally long hard winter, both by natural purposes and emotionally, physically etc.

I’ve never been happier to welcome Spring. It seems to me that the earth was just as ready and practically lept over the normal events of Spring and has puddle stomped it’s way into Summer in a matter of a few short weeks.

The sun is shining, the garden is planted and I’m so thankful for summer!

Hubby says I’m “dripping with detail”! I’ll take that as a compliment.

Finally getting to it.

Here is my “Thanks for Summer Two for One Special”:

Veggie Tray Lunch:

What you will need:

various yummy veggies

cheese (if desired)

dressing or hummus for dipping

I reused a disposable tray and lid I had from somewhere, it was perfect. To note, DO NOT cut up the sweet pepper in advance it flavors everything in a 2 foot radius. It just so happens that’s almost the entire frig.

I filled this tray each morning and gave the kids free rein to eat from it at will. It really helped curb the munchies and even took place of lunch one day this week.

My Thinglets had their reservations but when I sliced the sweet pepper and gave each a nice thin “shoestring pepper fry” they were pleasantly surprised. They were also quite sure that tomatoes were not on the approved list until I sliced a few in half and had them try without the shock of that spurt of juice when you bite into it whole. You guessed it, no complaints!

The veggies and cheese were such a hit I went one step further.

Summer Pasta Salad:

What you will need:

BroccoliGF noodles (16oz)- No that’s not a typo I did a little research and though Tinkyada calls this it’s Fussilli Pasta it appears to be truly the Broccoli Pasta shape. Read the link it’s quite a kick!

chicken if desired (this is delicious as another use for the bbq chicken left-overs)

various veggies

parmesan cheese (if desired)

garlic

olive oil

If I can do it you can do it (Recipe):

If you’ve made the veggie tray or have vegetables on hand this dish is a cinch to whip up.

As soon as I got the The Bubba and Pee Wee down for their naps I boiled up the noodles. The key is to make the noodles according to package directions and allow time to chill before your own clan is pounding down the door for dinner. I like to rinse and pat dry before serving or chilling GF pastas.

Just before the door came crashing in (not really but you’d be surprised) I prepared my veggies.

All you have to do now is drizzle in a little olive oil (just enough to coat the noodles and get the cheese to stick), toss in the vegetables and chicken then pour a glass of lemonade, put up your feet and soak in the sun!

This has been another recipe for the “What’s for Dinner Wednesday Blog Carnival” Hosted by the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks for stopping and check out more great ideas here.

I like pasta salad, but haven’t made any yet this year. The idea of putting the veggies out to munch on is a great idea. The cucumbers and other veggies I get at the farmer’s market are perfect for that.

I’m with you on the winter. Not a fan of the long dark cold days. Can’t wait to give them up. Love the food tray. Perfect! I love how you come up with great tasting foods that uses fresh ingredients and not tons of work. You’re my kind of gal!

That pasta salad looks yummy! Perfect for a main course or a side dish and not time consuming. I grew up in the north but live in Dallas now. Can’t imagine ever dealing with the winters again, but oh how I miss the advent of spring and the beauty of summer. For us, summer is mostly characterized by the insane air conditioning bills. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

Cheryl – I’m thinking about making hummus soon glad you could find something on my usually carnivorous recipes.
Linda – I’m a big fan of the Farmer’s Market
Diane – Thanks!🙂 Your my kinda gal too, I always know where to look for something a little spicy.
Amy – Has to be quick or I get tortured! I’d miss the winter even though I’m glad when it is gone I’m always ready when its back.
Jennifer – Ha! I order pasta in bulk too otherwise with the 6 of us it is too expensive.
Brian – I’m mostly Italian,(hence the passionate outbursts of nonsense “queen of the kitchen etc.) gotta have pasta!
Liz – I hope your kids will give it a chance, mine were pleasantly surprised at how sweet they both were! Homemade cheese sauce is a winner with the kids too I can get them to eat almost anything with it! I have an un-recipe under “soup base and casserole”. I think I need to post a separate recipe for the roux. Really easy, you may already know; 1-1 fat to flour then add milk and cheese simmer until thick.

I love how you get your kids to eat things by re-naming them. “Shoestring Pepper Fry”? That’s genius! You should be the world’s first marketing consultant for vegetables. You’d be especially good at it since you don’t like veggies if I recall.

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Sourdough Update

Many of you have been checking back for results on my sourdough creation. At the moment it is still a science experiment, but a happy, bubbly experiment. Never fear, recipes will be here! I did make a beautiful, moist and delicious loaf of sourdough using yeast and a myriad of other ingredients but I'm still trying to create something more user friendly. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a starter on the counter that you could add 4 things to and have a loaf of bread by dinner? Mmmm!
Attempt #1 - rose well but resulted in a dense chewy blob
Attempt #2 - rose ok but was thin and lifeless then fell and another dense (not so chewy) blob
Attempt #3 - to the dogs!
Attempt #4 - A sourdough pancake success see post under what's for breakfast gluten-free goof?
Ongoing - I've tried several more times and am going to try a completely different approach on the bread starting this week. (Mar 18). My sourdough is still happy on my counter and it makes great pancakes but it's a lot of work just for pancakes. Keep checking!
April Update:
She is still kickin and I'm still workin on a yeast free, gluten free sourdough loaf!
May Update:
My sourdough "pet" has been dried and retired until next baking season. I've traded her in for a hotter model, the BBQ! :)